Naruto: Flash Reborn — Minato’s Second Life

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Yan Uchiha formed hand seals with both hands and expelled a massive fireball from his mouth. He'd been preparing this ninjutsu ever since he threw the shuriken earlier.

Roar!

The enormous fireball instantly split the battlefield in two. Not even the most reckless ninja would risk touching it with their bare skin, despite it being a C-ranked technique.

Yet Ryo Yagura was an exception.

Yan's opponent was clearly also a member of the Yagura Clan, but his training in body techniques seemed incomplete—he could only produce Lightning Release currents over his skin, and while these sparks were enough to deflect shuriken, they couldn't prevent the chunin from getting hurt.

At first, he had underestimated his opponent far too much; otherwise, with his abilities, he wouldn't have been pushed into such a desperate situation by Yan Uchiha.

Crackle! Crack!

At the last moment, he crossed his arms over his chest as the brilliant lightning covering his body suddenly converged there, finally forming partial Lightning Release armor over his arms.

Taking advantage of the chaos on the battlefield, Junko Watanabe moved like a ghost through the battlefield, her blade already drawn and gripped firmly in her hand. Although her speed wasn't quite as extreme as Sakumo's, her drawing technique was still extremely fast.

Slash!

The sword cut horizontally downward toward the only figure still cloaked in a wide black robe—the one originally targeted by Sakumo, Tachiyama Shinsaburo.

As a tokubetsu jonin, Tachiyama reacted well, stepping back several times to narrowly dodge the horizontal slash.

"What? As a rogue ninja, killing your own people—now you're afraid to reveal your true face?"

Junko coldly remarked, immediately launching another flurry of slashes without hesitation. The chaotic blades gleamed in a six-pointed star pattern.

"This is Anbu swordsmanship combined with sensing ability and barrier ninjutsu—you must be the 'Anbu Witch'?"

Tachiyama spoke with hoarse surprise in his voice. From within his broad sleeves, a long blade appeared as he slashed it multiple times, completely neutralizing Junko's attacks.

"You really shouldn't know that much!"

Junko replied. Intelligence regarding the Anbu was strictly confidential—even Sakumo, who might have suspected her Anbu identity, didn't know her actual codename inside the Anbu.

But Tachiyama Shinsaburo did.

His exclamation caused a brief distraction among the Cloud Ninja, and even Yan Uchiha showed a flicker of shock. Minato, however, remained flawless in his movements—as if he hadn't heard anything at all.

After dodging his initial attack, Minato lifted his kunai again and flipped his wrist forward for a sharp downward stab!

To avoid Minato's assault, the chunin twisted his body into a ninety-degree angle. Between that and his lapse in focus, added to Minato's shocking burst of speed, left him barely able to evade.

Still, he was a trained chunin; allowing himself to fall backward, he reached out one arm toward Minato's kunai.

Losing a hand was better than being gutted.

Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of danger surged through Minato's entire body, making every hair stand on end. Instinctively, he abandoned his attack.

"Instant Flash!"

Almost on pure reflex, Minato accelerated rapidly, shooting backward.

Dang!

Even so, a bolt of lightning flashed and severed the kunai in his hand in half before piercing through several trees.

"BANG!"

A thunderous roar followed, as if the ground itself had collapsed.

Minato turned his head. If he had reacted just a moment slower earlier, his entire right arm would have been pierced by the kunai thrown by Ryo Yagura.

But that thunderstorm-like sound was all Sakumo Hatake's doing.

"You fool!"

Sakumo never expected that for just a chunin, Ryo Yagura would completely ignore his attack and not bother to defend at all. Yet as he thought further...

His target was clearly Minato all along.

Sakumo's strike was heavy, his tanto seemingly brimming with unmatched strength. Even someone as powerful as Ryo Yagura, blocking it with only one arm, was now on one knee, his Lightning Release Armor already shattered, the White Fang's blade embedded an inch into his left arm.

Thick, crimson blood flowed down.

"It's been years since I last suffered a wound. You really are strong..."

The body techniques Ryo Yagura cultivated made it nearly impossible for others to break his defense, yet Sakumo alone had managed to push him into such a desperate situation with just a tanto.

The two jonin beside him hadn't even found an opportunity to intervene.

"You're the only one reckless enough to block my strike with bare flesh."

Sakumo said. Mastering body techniques didn't make you invincible. He himself also specialized in Lightning Release Chakra—this was a pure brute-force clash against Ryo Yagura.

Though he hadn't used his full strength yet, landing multiple strikes and finally breaking this man's defense still impressed Sakumo greatly.

Then how fearsome must be the defense of the so-called "impenetrable shield," the Third Raikage?

"Is that so?"

Ryo Yagura grinned and suddenly grabbed the blade of Sakumo's knife with his right hand. "Without this blade, how much strength remains in the famed Hatake Sakumo?"

Crackling!

In an instant, wild lightning erupted from his body. Sakumo pushed hard, piercing through his palm, yet even then, the latter refused to let go.

"Get him!"

Ryo Yagura shouted, and the two genin beside him immediately dashed toward Sakumo, leaving Sakumo no choice but to release his grip on the hilt.

Such a violent opponent was an entirely new experience for Sakumo.

Whoosh!

Faced with the two jonin rushing toward him, Sakumo remained unconcerned.

"My blade isn't something anyone can touch!"

He leaped upward, grabbed onto a tree trunk, used it for momentum, and charged straight at Ryo Yagura.

At the same time, his left hand started forming seals...

One-handed seal formation!

[Hatake Secret Technique: Heavenly Thunderbolt!]

Crackle! Crackling!

Suddenly, brilliant, blazing blue lightning erupted from the white tanto clutched by Ryo Yagura. The thunderous roar of divine lightning shook everyone locked in battle at that moment.

"Boom!"

An instant later, the lightning exploded—a terrifying blast. In a flash, a blinding sphere over two meters wide appeared, completely engulfing Ryo Yagura within.

At the same time, the white tanto was flung away by the explosion's shockwave. Sakumo, mid-leap, caught it effortlessly and gripped it firmly once more.

After landing, White Fang pushed off the ground for momentum, leapt over the lingering arcs of lightning, and slashed downward at one of the two Kumogakure Jonin.

This time, there was no lightning swirling around his blade. Yet the white glow remained terrifying, and the speed was astonishing.

Whoosh!

A flash of white light tore through the air. Although the Cloud Jonin barely dodged the direct strike from White Fang's sword, his left arm was cleanly severed.

"Ahhh!"

The intense pain caused him to scream. From within the electric glow, a shadowy figure shot forth—but the Lightning Release Armor on his body was now in tatters, and his speed greatly reduced.

Sakumo had clearly anticipated the attack. As the figure burst out, he simply stepped aside, letting the enemy's own momentum carry him past.

Ryo Yagura emerged with multiple burn marks across his body, though seemingly unscathed beyond surface damage.

Faced with this, his already dark face grew even darker with fury. He glared at Sakumo with pure hatred—if looks could kill, Sakumo would have died countless times already.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?!"

Ryo Yagura's furious roar echoed through the dense forest... 

...

...

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